and way of commenting of trivial critics; or humourous, upon the authors in the poem; or hiftorical, of perfons, places, times; or explanatory; or collecting the parallel paffages of the Ancients. Adieu. I am pretty well, my Mother not ill, Dr. Arbuthnot vex'd with his fever by intervals; I am afraid he declines, and we fhall lofe a worthy man: I am troubled about him very much.

I am, etc.

I

LETTER XXXIII.

From Dr. SWIFT.

July 16, 1728. Have often run over the Dunciad in an Irifh edition (I fuppofe full of faults) which a gentleman fent me. The notes I could with to be very large, in what relates to the perfons concerned; for I have long obferv'd that twenty miles from London no body understands hints, initial letters, or town-facts and paffages; and in a few years not éven those who live in London. I would have the names of these fcriblers printed indexically at the beginning or end of the Poem, with an account of their works, for the reader to refer to. I would have all the Parodies (as they are call'd) referred to the author they imitate-When I began this long paper, I thought I fhould have fill'd it with fetting down the feveral paffages I had mark'd in the edition I had; but I find it unneceffary, fo many of them falling under the fame rule. After twenty times reading the whole, I never in my opinion faw fo much good fatire, and more good fenfe, in fo many lines. How it paffes in Dublin I know not yet; but I am fure it will be a great disadvantage to the poem, that the perfons and facts will not be understood, till an explanation comes out, and a very full one. I imagine it is not to be publifhed till towards winter, when folks begin to gather in town. Again, I infift, you must have your Afterifks filled up with fome real names of real Dunces.

I am now reading your preceding letter, of June 28, and find that all I have advis'd above is mention'd there. I would be glad to know whether the quarto edition is to come out anonymously, as published by the Commentator, with all his pomp of prefaces, etc. and among many complaints of fpurious editions? I am thinking whether the Editor fhould not follow the old ftyle of, This excelVOL. IV.

Rr

lent

lent author, etc. and refine in many places when you meant no refinement; and into the bargain take all the load of naming the dunces, their qualities, hiftories, and performances?

As to yourself, I doubt you want a fpurrer-on to exercife and to amufements; but to talk of decay at your feafon of life is a jeft. But you are not fo regular as I. You are the moft temperate man God-ward, and the most intemperate yourself-ward, of moft I have known. I fuppofe Mr. Gay will return from the Bath with twenty pounds more flefh, and two hundred leis in money: Providence never defigned him to be above two and twenty, by his thoughtleffnefs and Cullibility. He hath as little forefight of age, fick nefs, poverty, or lofs of admirers, as a girl at fifteen. By the way, I muft obferve, that my Lord Bolingbroke (from the effects of his kindness to me) argues moft fophiftically: The fall from a million to a hundred thousand pounds is not fo great, as from eight hundred pounds a year to one: Befides, he is a controller of Fortune, and Poverty dares not look a great Minister in the face, under his loweft declenfion. I never knew him live fo great and expenfively as he hath done fince his return from Exile; fuch mortals have refources that others are not able to comprehend. But God bless you, whofe great genius has not fo tranfported you as to leave you to the courtesy of mankind; for wealth is liberty, and liberty is a bleffing fitteft for a philofopher-and Gay is a flave juft by two thoufand pounds too little. And Horace was of my mind, and let my Lord contradict him, if he dares.

I

LETTER XXXIV.

Bath, Nov. 12, 1728.. Have paft fix weeks in queft of health, and found it not; but I found the folly of folicitude about it in a hundred inftances; the contrariety of opinions and practices, the inability of phyficians, the blind obedience of fome patients, and as blind rebellion of others. I believe at a certain time of life, men are either fools, or phyficians for themselves, and zealots, or divines for themselves.

It was much in my hopes that you intended us a winter's vifit, but laft week I repented that wifh, having been alarmed with a report of your lying ill on the road from Ireland; from which I am juft relieved by an affurance

that

you

that you are still at Sir A-'s, planting and building; two things that I envy you for, befides a third, which is the fociety of a valuable Lady. I conclude (tho' I know nothing of it) that you quarrel with her, and abufe her every day, if fhe is fo. I wonder I hear of no Lampoons upon her, either made by yourself, or by others because efteem her. I think it a vast pleasure that whenever two people of merit regard one another, fo many fcoundrels envy and are angry at them: 'tis bearing teftimony to a merit they cannot reach; and if you knew the infinite content I have receiv'd of late, at the finding yours and my name conftantly united in any filly fcandal, I think you would go ncar to fing Io Triumphe! and celebrate my happinefs in verfe; and, I believe, if you won't, I fhall. The infcription to the Dunciad is now printed and inferted in the Poem. Do you care I fhould fay any thing farther how much that Poem is yours? fince certainly without you it had never been. Would to God we were together for the reft of our lives! The whole weight of Scriblers would just serve to find us amufement and not more. I hope you are too well employed to mind them: every stick you plant, and every ftone you lay, is to fome purpofe; but the bufinefs of fuch lives as theirs is but to die daily, to labour, and raise nothing. I only wish we could comfort each other under our bodily infirmities, and let those who have fo great a mind to have more Wit than we, win it and wear it. Give us but eafe, health, peace, and fair weather! I think it is the beft with in the world, and you know whofe it was. If I liv'd in Ireland, I fear the wet climate would endanger more than my life; my humour and health; I am so atmospherical a crea

ture.

I must not omit acquainting you, that what you heard of the words fpoken of you in the Drawing-room, was not true. The fayings of Princes, are generally as ill related as the fayings of Wits. To fuch reports little of our regard fhould be given, and lefs of our conduct influenced by them.

I

LETTER XXXV.

From Dr. SWIFT.

Dublin, Feb. 13, 1728.

Lived very eafily in the country: Sir A, is a man of fenfe, and a scholar, has a good voice, and my lady a better; he is perfectly well-bred, and defires to improve her understanding, which is very good, but cultivated too much like a fine lady. She was my pupil there, and feverely chid when the read wrong; with that and walking, and inaking twenty little amufing improvements, and writing family-veries of mirth by way of libels on my Lady, my time paft very well and in very great order; infinitely better than here, where I fee no creature but my fervants and my old Prefbyterian house-keeper, denying myself to every body, till I fhall recover my ears.

The account of another Lord Lieutenant was only in a common news-paper, when I was in the country; and if it fhould have happened to be true, I would have defired to have had accefs to him, as the fituation I am in requires. But this renews the grief for the death of our friend Mr. Congreve, whom I loved from my youth, and who furely, befides his other talents, was a very agreeable companion. He had the misfortune to fquander away a very good conftitution in his younger days; and I think a man of fenfe and meritlike him, is bound in confcience to preferve his health for the fake of his friends, as well as of himself. Upon his own account I could not much defire the continuance of his life, under fo much pain, and fo many infirmities. Years have not yet hardened me; and I have an addition of weight on my fpirits fince we loft him; tho' I faw him fo feldom, and poffibly, if he had liv'd on, fhould never have seen him more. I do not only wifh as you ask me, that I was unacquainted with any deferving perfon, but almoft that I never had a friend. Here is an ingenious good-humoured Phyfician, a fine gentleman, an excellent fcholar, eafy in his fortunes, kind to every body, hath abundance of friends, entertains them often and liberally, they pafs the evening with him at cards, with plenty of good meat and wine, eight or a dozen together; he loves them all, and they him. He has twenty of these at command; if one of them dies, it is no more than poor Tom! he gets another, or takes up with

the

the reft, and is no more mov'd than at the lofs of his cat; he offends nobody, is eafy with every body - Is not this the true happy man? I was defcribing him to my Lady A-, who knows him too, but she hates him mortally by my character, and will not drink his health: I would give half my fortune for the fame temper, and yet I cannot fay I love it, for I do not love my lord who is much of the Doctor's nature. I hear Mr. Gay's fecond Opera, which you mention, is forbid; and then he will be once more fit to be advised, and reject your advice. Adieu.

LETTER XXXVI.

Dr. SWIFT to Lord BOLINGBROKE.

Dublin, March 21, 1729, Y OU tell me you have not quitted the defign of collecting, writing, etc. This is the answer of every finner who defers his repentance. I with Mr. Pope were as great an urger as I, who long for nothing more than to fee truth under your hands, laying all detraction in the duft-I find myself difpofed every year, or rather every month, to be more angry and revengeful; and my rage is fo ignoble, that it defcends even to refent the folly and bafeness of the enslaved people among whom I live. I knew an old Lord in Leicefterfhire, who amused himself with mending pitchforks and fpades for his Tenants gratis. Yet I have higher ideas left, if I were nearer to objects on which I might employ them; and contemning my private fortune, would gladly crofs the channel and ftand by, while my betters were driving the Boars out of the garden, if there be any probable expectation of such an endeavour. When I was of your age I often thought of death, but now after a dozen years more, it is never out of my mind, and terrifies me lefs. I conclude that Providence hath order'd our fears to decrease with our fpirits; and yet I love la bagatelle better than ever: for finding it troublesome to read at night, and the company here growing tafleless, I am always writing bad profe, or worse verses, either of rage or raillery, whereof fome few efcape to give offence or mirth, and the reft are burnt.

They print fome Irish trash in London, and charge it on me, which you will clear me of to my friends, for all are fpurious except one* paper, for which Mr. Pope very

* Entituled, A Libel on Dr. Delany, and a certain great Lord.

lately